Employment and Industry

Montana

Employment and industry are the backbone of any community's economic development potential. Understanding trends in the labor force over time and how that labor force differs from other communities is vital to attracting new businesses. The data here compares the unemployment rate in Montana to the rate in United States, and compares trends in earnings and employment for six major industries in Montana.

Montana's Labor Force and Unemployment

The labor force is the pool of residents employed or actively seeking work in Montana. It excludes children, retirees, and others not actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is the percent of the labor force that is not employed.

Industry and Earnings Trends in Montana

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) divides up businesses and other establishments into industry sectors. The charts below show trends for both median earnings and number of workers in six major industry sectors in Montana.

Educational services, health care, and social assistance

Median Earnings

Manufacturing

Median Earnings

Construction

Median Earnings

Information

Median Earnings

Retail Trade

Median Earnings

Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities

Median Earnings

About the Data

• Median earnings by industry are from the American Community Survey (ACS), Table B24031. For 5-year estimates, dollar values are inflation-adjusted to the final year of the 5-year range. For example, Median Income (2013-2017) is reported in 2017 inflation-adjusted dollars. The Census Bureau adjusts dollar values using inflation factors based on the Consumer Price Index or CPI.

• Number of workers by industry data is from ACS Table B08526. Only workers 16 and older are counted.

This report uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.